Weekend Plug-in 🔌

Editor’s note: Every Friday, “Weekend Plug-in” features analysis, fact checking and top headlines from the world of faith. Got feedback or ideas for this column? Email Bobby Ross Jr. at therossnews@gmail.com.

(ANALYSIS) Happy anniversary, Weekend Plug-in readers!

This week’s edition marks one year since we launched this column, and I so appreciate everyone who takes the time to read it, share it and offer feedback and ideas.

During 2020, we celebrated hundreds of top religion reads from publications large and small.

Two weeks ago, we counted down the Top 10 stories of the year as determined by the Religion News Association. Last week, we highlighted the best in religion journalism from this past year.

And this week, we focus on Religion Unplugged itself — our most popular stories and columns of 2020 and our top content that you might have missed.

Power Up: The Year’s Top Reads

Religion Unplugged’s 25 most popular links of the year.

1. Christians want power? Sioux Center pushes back on New York Times story (by Lee Pitts, published Aug. 12)

2. Let Liberty University be a lesson in unchecked power (by Karen Swallow Prior, published Aug. 27)

3. Pennsylvania church tells followers to be ready to die for Trump in 'a gun fight with police' (by Timothy, Nerozzi, published Nov. 13)

4. 5 Jesus movies you should watch this Easter (by Clemente Lisi, published April 4)

5. Fact check: Did Tim Tebow kneeling for God on the field upset the NFL? (by Bobby Ross Jr., published July 31)

6. George Floyd's ministry friends say he was their 'OG,' a 'man of peace' (by Liza Vandemboom, published May 28)

7. Coronavirus fighter Dr. Anthony Fauci's forgotten Catholic roots (by Clemente Lisi, published March 18)

8. Coronavirus is highlighting the rift in Islam (by Lawrence Pintak, published April 17)

9. The Charismatic Christians prophesying Trump's victory (and not backing down) (by Julia Duin, published Nov. 16)

10. Growth in the LDS Church is slowing — but not for reasons you might suspect (by Emma Penrod, published April 20)

11. God and guns: Why American churchgoers are packing heat (by Paul Glader and Michael Ray Smith, published June 8)

12. 'The Chosen' sets a new gold standard for depictions of Jesus (by Joseph Holmes, published March 27)

13. Hall of Famer Rod Carew talks faith, COVID-19 and, yes, baseball (by Bobby Ross Jr., published July 6)

14. In Uganda, U.S. missionary accused of 105 child deaths dissolves charity (by John Semakula, published Aug. 1)

15. 5 virtual tours of religious sites you can take while you stay home (by Clemente Lisi, published April 7)

16. Ignoring Kobe Bryant's Catholic faith results in incomplete look at his life (by Clemente Lisi, published Jan. 27)

17. The faith of the Black Lives Matter movement (by Liza Vandenboom, published July 10)

18. Meet the evangelicals who are anti-Trump (by Julia Duin, published April 1)

19. Race to be the next pope: New book details the possible candidates (by Clemente Lisi, published July 28)

20. Is Joe Biden a Catholic? It depends on who you ask (by Timothy Nerozzi, published Aug. 13)

21. Evangelical Ph.D. student explains why Christians should care about climate change (by Meagan Clark, published April 24)

22. Catholic group vows to protect St. Louis IX statue deemed anti-Semitic and Islamophobic (by Timothy Nerozzi, published June 23)

23. Exclusive: Author Eric Metaxas admits punching D.C. protester and offers context (by Paul Glader, published Sept. 3)

24. Falwell says wife’s affair contributed to depression (by Christina Darnell, published Aug. 24)

25. Democrats tout faith, while a few DNC caucuses omit 'under God' from Pledge (by Bobby Ross Jr., published Aug. 21)

Charging Station: In Case You Missed It

Religion Unplugged content from 2020 that deserves a second look, as selected by the editors.

Stories

• In Photos: Romanian Orthodox Christians Celebrate Jesus’ Baptism With Holy Water And A Race (by Alexandra Radu, published Jan. 7)

• Nigeria Is A Killing Field Of Defenseless Christians (news analysis) (by Theophilus Abbah, published Feb. 4)

• More Jews Are Learning To Fight Anti-Semitism, With Their Hands (by Micah Danney, published Feb. 14)

• India Sees Worst Violence In Decades As Mob Attacks Muslim Protesters (by Avinash Giri, published March 1)

• Kashmiri Politician’s Release Spotlights Other Detainees Awaiting Freedom (by Zaffar Iqbal, published March 13)

• How The Jehovah’s Witnesses Paved The Road To Deaf Inclusion (by Liza Vandenboom, published Mar. 24)

• With Drop In Offerings, Evangelical Churches Brace For Coronavirus Impact (by Meagan Clark and Liza Vandenboom, published March 30)

• Quarantines Resurrect Church Attendance Just In Time For Easter (by Meagan Clark, published April 10)

• One Year Later, Sri Lankan Easter Bombing Survivors Rely On Their Faith To Recover (by Avinash Giri, published April 11)

• A Butcher By Name, This Muslim Surgeon Saves Lives Across Battle Lines (by Ken Chitwood on April 23)

• Two Secular New Yorkers Visited The Samaritan’s Purse Hospital: One Volunteered, The Other Was Arrested (by Micah Danney, published April 29)

• The Moroccan School Training Women Imams To Combat Extremism (by Priyadarshini Sen, published May 1)

• Inside The $100 Million Church Meant To Honor Putin, Stalin And War (by Alexei Lidov, published May 8)

• Methodists Are Reviving 19th Century ‘Love Feasts’ Online (by Kimberly Winston, published May 21)

• Amid Protests, Looting And COVID-19, A Minnesota Black Church Hopes And Prays (by Deena Winter, published June 1)

• Church Van Plays Gospel Music To Calm Police And Protesters In Brooklyn (by Micah Danney, published June 1)

• Seattle Protests: As The Cops Withdrew, Clergy Showed Up (by Julia Duin, published June 19)

• In Photos: Indonesian Muslims Celebrate Eid Al-Adhar During COVID-19 By Donating Meat To The Needy (by Agoes Rudianto, published July 31)

• The Faith That Made Runner Jim Ryun Forgive His Olympic Rivals (by Elias Makori, published Aug. 6)

• Church In Uganda Razed Overnight Despite COVID-19 Ban On Evictions (by John Semakula, published Aug. 10)

• The Play About America’s First Black Catholic Priest Most Have Never Heard Of (by Julia Duin, published Aug. 11)

• This Sikh Family Performed Last Rites For Unclaimed COVID-19 Patients. Then They Caught The Virus (by Zaffar Iqbal, published Aug. 12)

• Liberty University Alums Demand Change After Falwell’s Exit (by Meagan Clark and Paul Glader, published Aug. 26)

• How The Episcopal Church Is Trying To Fill A Priest Shortage In Alaska (by Julia Duin, published Sept. 4)

• Muslims in Hong Kong, ‘The Next Xinjiang,’ Silently Support Uyghurs (by Shuk Wa Cheng, published Sept. 17)

• Meet The Belgian Buddhist Training Entrepreneurs (by Kimberly Winston, published Oct. 9)

• The Third Party Fishing For Dissatisfied Christians (by Timothy Nerozzi, published Oct. 19)

• Why Chilean Protesters Set Fire To Churches (news analysis) (by James Gatica Matteson on Oct. 22)

• How COVID-19 Is Fueling A New Jesus Movement (by Meagan Clark and Haeven Gibbons, published Oct. 24)

• In Fighting COVID-19, Tanzania’s President Chooses Prayer Over Science (by Tom Osanjo, published Oct. 25)

• Inside Florida’s Evangelical Vote Split Along Racial Identity (by Hamil Harris, published Nov. 3)

• In The Armenia-Azerbaijan War, Religious Nationalism Threatens Peaceful Settlement (by Jade Levin, published Nov. 9)

• In Photos: Celebrating Diwali 2020 During The Pandemic (by Alexandra Radu, published Nov. 14)

• The Religious Life Of Reality Winner, The Gen Z Whistleblower Who Exposed Russian Interference In US Elections (by Jillian Cheney, published Nov. 18)

• Gleaners Fulfill Spiritual Commands To Feed The Hungry, Reduce Food Waste (by Kimberly Winston, published Nov. 24)

• The Next Generation Of Imams Fighting For A French Islam (by Jade Levin, published Nov. 25)

• Rainn Wilson On How The Baha’i Faith Inspires Unity In An 'Outrage Culture' (by Mattie Townson on Dec. 1)

• How Football Icon Diego Maradona Became A Global Religious Figure (by James Gatica Matteson, published Dec. 4)

• Pro-Trump Protesters Burn BLM Banners Outside Four Historic D.C. Churches (by Hamil Harris, published Dec. 14)

• Islamic Militias Are Protecting Churches In Indonesia (by Paul Marshall, published Dec. 21)

Culture

• In Beyonce’s Black Is King, Culture Outshines God (by Princess Jones, published Aug. 7)

• Is This The Way? The Mandalorian Questions Religious Tradition (by Jillian Cheney, published Dec. 18)

• Does Holy Mark A New Era In Justin Bieber’s Music? (by Jillian Cheney, published Sept. 21)

• Sotheby’s To Auction Sassoon Dynasty’s Jewish Artifacts From India, Iran And More (by Gil Zohar, published Dec. 16)

• ‘Zoo Rabbi’ Opens Museum Featuring Biblical Wildlife With Virtual Tours (by Gil Zohar, published April 21)

Opinions

• The Increase Of Religious Nones In The US May Be Stalling (by Richard Ostling, published Feb. 26)

• Iran’s Persecuted Christians Face Yet Another Danger: COVID-19 (by Lela Gilbert, published March 26)

• How The Black Death Built The Modern West (by Dr. Robert Carle, published April 9)

• Young, Christian and Black: How To Fight For Justice Like Jesus (by Princess Jones, published June 4)

• Turkey Is Moving Toward Neo-Ottoman Regime With Calls To Convert Hagia Sophia (by Paul Marshall, published June 25)

• After John Lewis, We Are Still In Search Of That Beloved Community (by Hamil Harris, published Aug. 3)

• Will Israel’s Peace Agreements Bring Religious Freedom In The Middle East? (by Lela Gilbert, published Sept. 16)

• Will US Catholics Split Their Vote This Year? (by Clemente Lisi, published Oct. 22)

• Macron Was Right To Defend Free Speech In France, Denounce Islamists (by Paul Marshall, published Oct. 28)

• The Disappearing Mosques In Xinjiang (by Ewalena Ochab, published Nov. 10) 

The Final Plug

Was that enough links for you? (Insert smiley face emoji.)

That’s it for our special year-end editions of Weekend Plug-in. Lord willing, we’ll return to our regular format next week.

Happy New Year!

Bobby Ross Jr. is a columnist for Religion Unplugged and editor-in-chief of The Christian Chronicle. A former religion writer for The Associated Press and The Oklahoman, Ross has reported from all 50 states and 15 nations. He has covered religion since 1999.